Set & Manage Stop Loss and Take Profit in Tradovate
Every trade you take in Tradovate should have a stop loss and a take profit attached before you look away from the screen. Here's how to attach both, confirm them, drag them, and bracket a position you've already opened.
Every trade you take in Tradovate should have a stop loss and a take profit attached before you look away from the screen. Whether you're scalping ES, holding NQ for a swing, or running your entries through automation, this guide shows you how to attach both levels, confirm them on the chart, drag them around, and bolt a bracket onto a position you've already opened.
What Is a Stop Loss and Take Profit in Tradovate?
A stop loss (SL) is a resting order that closes your position if price runs against you past a level you set, so a bad move caps out instead of running open. A take profit (TP) is the mirror image: a resting order that closes the position the moment price reaches your target and banks the gain.
The cleanest way to attach both at once in Tradovate is an ATM Strategy, a saved bracket preset that drops your SL and TP in as a linked OCO (One-Cancels-the-Other) pair the instant your entry fills. Set it up once, and every trade you take with that strategy comes pre-wrapped in risk and target.
Setting Stop Loss and Take Profit in Tradovate: Step-by-Step
Configure an ATM Strategy
Pull up a chart or the SuperDOM and find the ATM dropdown in the order-entry panel. Click the gear icon beside it, then hit the plus (+) to spin up a new strategy. Name it something you'll actually recognize mid-session, "SL-TP Scalp" does the job, then enter your Stop Loss and Profit Target. Both fields are measured in ticks by default, so a 40-tick stop on ES works out to 10 points. Choose your stop order type (Stop Market or Trailing Stop) and click Save.
Apply the Strategy and Enter the Trade
Pick your saved strategy from the ATM dropdown, then fire the entry with Buy or Sell on the chart or DOM. The moment the entry order fills, Tradovate drops your stop loss and take profit in as an OCO bracket, you don't touch anything else. And because it's OCO, whichever order fills first cancels the other on the spot.
Confirm the SL/TP Lines on Your Open Position
Once you're filled, Tradovate paints your stop loss and take profit as horizontal lines right on the chart at their price levels, and the working orders show up in the DOM and the Orders tab as well. Spend two seconds confirming the stop sits on your risk side and the target on the profit side before you step away. It's a cheap habit that saves ugly surprises.
Drag a Line to Move Your SL or TP
Need to move a level? Grab the SL or TP line on the chart and drag it to a new price, Tradovate rewrites the resting order in place, no re-entry required. This is how you trail a stop up to breakeven once the trade's in profit, or give a runner more room by pushing the target higher as the move keeps working in your favor.
Attach SL/TP to an Existing Position (No ATM)
Already long or short with no bracket attached? Open the DOM and click OCO to switch into OCO mode. Click above the market to stage a limit take profit and below it to stage a stop loss, flip that for a short. Click OCO once more to send the pair as one linked order. From there you can modify or cancel either side from the Positions/Orders panel.
Why You'd Need This
- Cap risk on every trade so one bad tick can't blow up your day.
- Lock in targets automatically instead of babysitting the screen for an exit.
- Adjust on the fly, drag to breakeven or extend a runner in a single motion.
- Stay prop-firm compliant by keeping a hard stop on every position you hold.
- Feed clean SL/TP levels into your automated strategies and trade journal.
Automate This with PickMyTrade
Setting brackets by hand is fine until an alert fires while you're away from the desk. PickMyTrade wires your TradingView alerts straight into your Tradovate account and attaches the stop loss and take profit for you, every signal enters with a full bracket, zero manual clicks.
Automate Your Brackets with PickMyTrade
Setting brackets by hand is fine until an alert fires while you're away from the desk. PickMyTrade attaches the stop loss and take profit for you, every signal enters with a full bracket.
Start Your Free 5-Day TrialFrequently Asked Questions
Yes. ATM Strategies and OCO brackets are linked, so the moment either the stop loss or the take profit fills, Tradovate's matching engine cancels the other order for you.
Inside an ATM Strategy you enter the SL and TP in ticks by default. Once the bracket is live on the chart, you can drag the lines to any exact price you want.
Yes. Switch on OCO mode in the DOM, place a take profit above the market and a stop loss below it (reversed for shorts), then submit the pair, or just drag them into place on the chart afterward.
This guide is for educational and informational purposes only and is not financial, investment, or trading advice. Trading futures and other leveraged products carries a substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. PickMyTrade is an independent third-party automation platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Tradovate, Inc. "Tradovate" and all related names, logos, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Platform features and steps change over time, so always confirm the current process in the official Tradovate platform and documentation before acting.